


For What?

by jenstraflintlocked



Series: Keep Calling You [7]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-17 21:54:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21650359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenstraflintlocked/pseuds/jenstraflintlocked
Relationships: Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe
Series: Keep Calling You [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1541704
Comments: 8
Kudos: 69





	For What?

It was the twelfth time Sara had called her. Not that Ava had been counting them. She was in her apartment again, reading a book, when the comm phone on the table beeped and she leaned forward, idly answering it without checking. She knew who it would be. 

“Heyyy Ava.” Sara still drawled her way through the initial greeting, but it had ceased to annoy Ava about five calls ago. “You busy?”

“Reading.” Ava replied abruptly, keeping her focus on her book.

“In your work suit? Do you ever let your hair down? Or relax? At all?”

“Well, even when I try, I tend to be interrupted by _someone_.” Ava said pointedly, turning a page. She graced Sara with a glance over the top of the book and was gratified to see the Captain of the Waverider trying to look innocent, as if people hadn’t been dragged out of bubble baths. “Anyway, this is different. I’m _officially_ on call tonight. We have quite a few missions out this evening. No doubt something will go wrong and they’ll need me.”

“And here I thought the Time Bureau would be a steady 9 to 5.” Sara laughed.

“It’s shift work. Some people are more productive at night. We like to work to people’s strengths.”

“Sooo, which are you? Early bird or night owl?”

“That would be giving away classified information.” Ava said loftily.

“Eh. I already know anyway. You!” Sara pointed at her. “Are a night owl. The kind of person who can’t get up in the morning without setting three alarms.”

Ava scoffed, finally closing her book. “Are you sure you’re not just projecting your own problems onto me?”

“That’s not a denial.”

Ava knew that Sara was going to take anything as a confirmation of her hunch, so she didn’t even bother fighting it. “And you, Miss Lance?”

“Deflecting questions by asking questions is such a giveaway. Just admit I’m right. And for your information, I have no problems waking up in the morning.”

That smug grin should be criminalised, Ava mused to herself. “Hm. That surprises me as you clearly have trouble going to sleep.”

Sara’s eyes flashed. “Why do you say that?” her suddenly defensive tone surprised Ava

“Isn’t that why you ring me? Everyone else has gone to bed and you have no-one left to annoy?”

“Nahh. You’re just fun to talk to.”

Ava raised an eyebrow. That was not the return jab she’d been expecting.

“I meant it’s fun to annoy you by talking to you. I know it bugs you. I can ring you up anytime, anywhere but you still can’t find the Waverider.”

Ava glowered at Sara, but the currently gloating Captain of the elusive ship was right. Not that she’d exactly been focussing resources on that lately. Director Bennett wasn’t overly concerned about the Waverider, so long as they didn’t cause too many problems and Ava made sure to give the occasional report on tracking them. Which was, despite Sara’s confidence, abysmally easy to do.

“I can track you far too easily through the anachronisms you screw up.”

“The anachronisms we fix, you mean.” Sara corrected.

“Eventually fix.”

Sara tutted. “Picky. I mean, why do we even have to heal time anyway right? Some of these anachronisms are too much fun.”

“Because otherwise time would break even further than it already has and that would…” Ava cuts herself off quickly. It was the second time she’d nearly given away too much just because Sara goaded her.

Sara was watching her now, far too intently. “And that would what?” she prompted.

“And that would be bad. Naturally.” Ava sat up straighter and tugged at her jacket. It was unnecessary but she suddenly felt nervous. The conversations between them had become too…too much. Too familiar. Too frequent. She felt compromised, despite promising herself she wouldn’t let Sara get to her. Despite arguing with herself that she hadn’t.

“C’monnn Ava. What would it do? Just tell me.”

It would’ve been far too easy to give in to that tone of voice. But she was Ava Sharpe. And she had a point to prove. “You are not part of the Time Bureau so…”

“Yeah but we’re working towards the same goal. Like, we’re un-colleagues or something.”

“We are not on the same team Miss Lance, by any stretch of the imagination!”

Sara looked hurt. “I thought we’d become frenemies at least. With a working relationship built up over many conversations.”

“The only reason we have these conversations is because you keep calling me up every hour of the day!”

“I don’t call at every hour of the day.” A mischievous glint appeared in Sara’s eyes.

“Don’t you dare.” Dread flooded Ava at the prospect. Even if she disabled her phone, no doubt with the help of their troublesome grudge bearing AI they’d find a way. Or else they’d just take to leaving messages on things or…or something else that would get back to Director Bennett.

“Then tell me what’s out there!” Sara became insistent again. They stared at each other for a few moments. Ava had always thought that the calls were to annoy her, to taunt her. And sometimes she even considered that they really were just for company or out of boredom. But Sara’s sudden switch of gears…

“Is this what these calls have been all about? Trying to pump me for information?” That pissed her off. That really pissed her off. She’d almost started…not looking forward to these calls that would be ridiculous but…what had Sara said they were? Frenemies?

Sara seemed caught off guard. As if she’d been found out. “Well what else would it be about?”

Ava could almost hear the condescending “Duh.”

“Ha. You should’ve made that clear from the beginning Miss Lance. You could’ve saved me from having to live through this time-wasting nightmare. Because I would’ve told you right from the very first phone call that I’m not telling you a thing!”

Ava’s sharp tone must’ve registered with Sara because she was scowling now. “Fine. If you don’t wanna bring my team on board and work together to fight whatever’s coming, if following rules and…and proving a point is really more important to you than fixing this thing then fine!” And for the first time, Sara was the one to close the connection.

Ava hadn’t realised she’d been holding her breath until she let it out in one big huff. She got up, flinging her book onto the sofa. She felt angry, but there was an undercurrent of hurt there as well, like a rip tide beneath the surface, threatening to drag her into it.

Her comm phone rang and she grabbed at it, but it was only Gary, reporting back on the evening’s mission. She fought for calm, dealt with his problem and signed off, collapsing back on the sofa and picking up her book. There was no anger anymore, merely tiredness. She couldn’t honestly say what she’d thought all those calls were. But she hadn’t been expecting that. That it was all some kind of ploy to soften her up or…

She tried to pride herself on the fact that whatever it was hadn’t worked. That once again, Sara Lance had met her match in Ava Sharpe. But it didn’t feel like a win. It didn’t even feel like a draw. When Sara didn’t ring again the following day, or the following week, to Ava, it felt like a loss. And she cursed herself for ever getting into the habit of picking up the phone.


End file.
